This application is based on and claims priority under 35 U.S.C. xc2xa7 119 with respect to Japanese Application No. 11(1999)-330455 filed on Nov. 19, 1999, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference.
This invention generally relates to a vehicle sun-roof device. More particularly, the present invention pertains to a movable panel for a vehicle sun-roof device provided with a link mechanism and a checking mechanism for at least tilting the movable panel.
A known type of vehicle sun-roof device is provided with a link mechanism including a bracket for supporting a movable panel for fully covering and uncovering the opening of the vehicle roof, a link member disposed between the bracket and a guide rail for restricting the rotational position of the bracket, a drive shoe disposed in the guide rail and associated with the bracket via the link member for sliding within the guide rail by the push-pull of a cable, and a driven shoe provided in the guide rail and rotatably supporting one end of the bracket. The device further includes a checking mechanism including a checking block attached to the driven shoe, a checking pin formed integrally with the bracket, and a guide block fixed to the guide rail.
In this known construction, the checking block functions to restrict the movement of the movable panel in the vehicle longitudinal direction during the tilting operation of the movable panel and the checking pin functions to restrict the movement of the movable panel in the vehicle longitudinal direction at the fully covering position of the movable panel. These two components of the checking mechanism prevent the movable panel from moving in the vehicle longitudinal direction while the vehicle is running.
However, this known construction suffers from certain disadvantages and drawbacks. For example, in the checking mechanism the checking block is separately formed from the checking pin. This requires a greater number of parts and thus increases the complexity of the overall construction. Further, the checking pin and the block are formed in the vehicle longitudinal direction respectively and sufficient space in the vehicle longitudinal direction is needed, thus possibly limiting the design and construction of the device.
In addition, the checking block is attached to the driven shoe while the checking pin is formed on the bracket which is formed separately from the driven shoe for relative rotation. This may generate looseness between the bracket and the driven shoe. The driven shoe is basically designed not to be moved in the longitudinal direction during the tilting operation of the movable panel, but because the movable panel itself is attached to the bracket, looseness may be generated by the gap between the bracket and the driven shoe during the tilting operation of the movable panel. This may cause an undesirable noise to be generated during the tilting operation.
A need thus exists for an improved vehicle sun-roof device which is not as susceptible to the foregoing disadvantages and drawbacks.
A need also exists for a vehicle sun-roof device having a simple checking mechanism which is able to reduce the aforementioned looseness and any associated noise generated by such looseness.
According to an aspect of the present invention, a vehicle sun-roof device includes a movable panel for fully covering and uncovering an opening in the vehicle roof, a guide rail provided along a side of the opening in the vehicle longitudinal direction, and a link mechanism associated with the movable panel for tilting the movable panel. The link mechanism includes a bracket supporting the movable panel, a link member for restricting the rotational position of the bracket, a drive shoe slidably disposed in the guide rail and associated with the bracket via the link member, and a driven shoe slidably disposed in the guide rail and rotatably supporting one end of the bracket. A checking mechanism restricts the movement of the driven shoe in the vehicle longitudinal direction and includes a restriction portion formed at the bracket and a guide block fixed to the guide rail. When the rotational position of the bracket is within a range between a first rotational position at which the opening is fully covered by the movable panel and a second rotational position at which the movable panel is tilted at a maximum angle, the restriction portion and the guide block continue to be engaged in the vehicle longitudinal direction.
In accordance with the present invention, the restriction portion of the bracket is engaged with the guide block when the rotational position of the bracket is within the range between the first and second rotational positions, and the movement of the bracket in the vehicle longitudinal direction is restricted. This means that the restriction of the movement of the bracket in the longitudinal direction at both the fully covering of the opening of the roof and the tilting operation of the movable panel can be achieved by a single component (i.e., the restriction portion of the bracket). Accordingly, the present invention provides a simplified construction of the vehicle sun-roof device by reducing the number of components.
Also, the restriction of the movement of the bracket in the longitudinal direction is continuously made at both the fully covering position and the tilting operation of the movable panel and so substantially no looseness is generated which may otherwise occur when switching from the fully covering position to the tilting operation, or vice versa. This operational change can also be carried out smoothly.
In accordance with the present invention, the restriction portion is formed on the bracket and not on the driven shoe. The restriction of the movement of the movable panel in the vehicle longitudinal direction during the tilting operation will thus not generate any looseness on the movable panel, thus avoiding undesirable noise. In the vehicle sun-roof device, the tilting or tilting operation of the movable panel involves upwardly tilting the movable panel from the condition of fully covering the opening of the vehicle roof to the inclined position.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a vehicle sun-roof device includes a movable panel for covering and uncovering an opening in a roof of the vehicle, a guide rail provided along a side of the opening in the vehicle longitudinal direction, and a link mechanism operatively associated with the movable panel for moving the movable panel between a first position in which the movable panel fully covers the opening in the roof and a second position in which the movable panel is tilted upwardly, and between the first position and a third position in which the movable panel is moved to uncover the opening in the roof. The link mechanism includes a bracket supporting the movable panel, a link member disposed between the bracket and a drive shoe slidably disposed in the guide rail, and a slidable driven shoe rotatably supporting one end of the bracket. A checking mechanism restricts movement of the driven shoe in the vehicle longitudinal direction and includes a guide block fixed to the guide rail and a restriction portion provided on the bracket which engages the guide block when the movable panel moves from the first position to the second position and which becomes disengaged from the guide block when the movable panel moves from the first position to the third position